Nearly 60% of Canadians say that they believe the combined federal-provincial income tax rate should not exceed more than half of someone’s income.
Despite the public’s sentiment, the top combined income tax rate exceeds 50% in all provinces except Alberta and Saskatchewan.
According to a Leger poll commissioned by the Fraser Institute, a plurality of Canadians believe that some Canadians do not pay their fair share in taxes despite the same poll showing support for tax cuts.
Of the Canadians polled, 70% agreed that some people do not pay their fair share of taxes, with the sentiment strongest among the elderly and in the prairie provinces, British Columbia, and Quebec.
Interestingly, only 58% of Canadians earning less than $20,000 a year said that some Canadians do not pay their fair share of taxes, lower than any other income bracket.
Despite this, over three-quarters of Canadians say that the highest federal-provincial marginal income tax rate should be 50% with half of Canadians saying the rate should be 20% or less. Only 2% of respondents felt that the marginal income tax should exceed 50%.
In Canada, the combined marginal personal income tax is consistently higher than 45% in every province and exceeds 50% in every province except for Alberta and Saskatchewan. The tax is highest in Newfoundland & Labrador at 54.8%, with Manitoba and Nova Scotia falling just shortly behind.
The survey then asked Canadians at what rate they believe the top 20% of income earners should be paying in taxes.
Nearly 60% of respondents said they believed the highest tax rate should be at or below 50%, with nearly 50% responding it should be at or below 45%. Less than 20% of Canadians said the highest tax rate should exceed 50%.
The poll’s results show a disconnect between voter attitudes toward taxation and the actual rates that Canadians are being taxed.
Despite the poll finding that 70% of Canadians believe some are not paying their fair share in taxes and 35% of Canadians saying high-income earners should pay more, only 19% said they want the marginal tax rate to exceed 50%, a reality in most of Canada’s provinces.
